In the aftermath of her convention speech, it seems clear that Sarah Palin is an effective mascot for the base of her party. She excited the Xcel Center, but failed to impress independents, who didn’t like her sarcasm and still aren’t sure she’s qualified. John McCain will have to do the heavy lifting there, notes the Political Insider, if he has any hope of winning the election.

Congressional Quarterly / Political Insider:

However, the challenge for McCain still remains getting independents and moderate Democrats to vote for him. In this respect, Palin’s speech fell far short. In fact, focus groups of independent voters found her overly harsh in her sarcasm and not very appealing to this cohort of voters.

Nate Silver makes another very important point: “To many voters, she is either entirely unknown, or is known as [a] US Weekly caricature of a woman who eats mooseburgers and has a pregnant daughter. To change someone’s opinion, you have to do one of two things. Either you have to be a trusted voice of authority, or you have to persuade them. Palin is not a trusted voice of authority—she’s much too new. But neither was this a persuasive speech. It was staccato, insistent, a little corny. It preached to the proverbial choir.”

UH...WHO WROTE PALIN'S SPEECH?

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman